As part of Webrazzi Summit 2026, the scaling agenda of Turkey’s entrepreneurship ecosystem was discussed. The event was held on Webrazzi’s 20th anniversary. The session “Startup Is Not Enough: How Will We Produce Scale-ups?” took place at Webrazzi Summit 2026, held at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent on Webrazzi’s 20th anniversary. The panel, moderated by Ankara TEKMER and LEAP Investment CEO İmran Gürakan, featured Dr. Kutay Güneştepe from İTÜ ARI Teknokent and Elif Üzen from Ostim Teknopark. Orion TEKMER General Manager İsa Uysal also joined the panel.
Gürakan has been part of the ecosystem since 2013. He emphasized that the environment in which startups develop is as important as capital. Güneştepe explained the role of technoparks. Noting that technoparks build connections between entrepreneurs and investors, Güneştepe said transparent accounting and unit economics are required for investment readiness, adding that a regular management model and international markets also matter. Uysal said Ankara startups are strong in product development but weak in marketing. He stated that during VMC’s visit to Turkey, they brought startups together with investors, and through the fund they established with FonAngels, they invested in ArabamOn and Abone Sepeti. He said they also invested in AYTE Elektronik through the same fund. Üzen noted that OSTİM offers mentorship and acceleration support. She added that OSTİM also provides prototyping support. She said startups gain their first field experience by testing their products with industrial companies, and that the financing needs of deep-tech startups differ from those of software companies.
Why it matters
The question in the session’s title sums up the core tension of Turkey’s entrepreneurship ecosystem: founding a startup and producing a scale-up require different competencies. The assessments highlighted at the panel show that this transition cannot be achieved with capital alone; institutionalization requirements such as transparent accounting, unit economics, and sound governance are decisive. The fact that the financing needs of deep-tech startups differ from those of software companies suggests that one-size-fits-all support programs may fall short for industry-based startups. The imbalance between production strength and marketing weakness in the Ankara example, meanwhile, illustrates one of the structural obstacles to scaling. The discussion directly concerns technoparks, investors, and early-stage startups; however, the question of through which mechanisms the proposed steps will be put into practice remains open.
Background
Turkey is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 111 news stories mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 21, 2026.